Israel deploys rocket defense amid threats by Gaza militants

JERUSALEM – Israel's military says it deployed a rocket defense system to the center of the country amid threats by Gaza militants.

It said on Tuesday that an Iron Dome battery was deployed, without elaborating. The system defends against short-range rockets, and intercepted hundreds of projectiles fired by Palestinian militants during the 2014 Gaza war.

The move follows a warning by Israel's prime minister and military to Gaza militants against attacks.

Islamic Jihad, an Iran-backed militant group in Gaza, has vowed revenge for the demolition of one of its attack tunnels last month that crossed into Israel.

It was a rare flare-up along the tense border, which has remained mostly quiet since the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

During the fighting, Gaza gunmen on several occasions infiltrated Israel through a tunnel network.